The Concept of the Political

The Concept of the Political is the work of the most important political theorist of the authoritarian right and arguably the twentieth century's most incisive critic of liberal democracy. Carl Schmitt's central thesis, that the essence of politics is the distinction between friend and enemy, stripped away liberal proceduralism to expose the raw power dynamics beneath constitutional order. His analysis of sovereignty, the state of exception, and political theology continues to challenge democratic theory.

Published the year before Hitler took power, functioning as both diagnosis and, unwittingly, blueprint, Schmitt's work emerged from the terminal crisis of the Weimar Republic. Leo Strauss's famous letter to Schmitt launched Strauss's career, and Giorgio Agamben's use of the "state of exception" concept brought Schmitt back to the center of political theory. The work is taught in every serious political theory program worldwide.